Number Printed On The Back Side Of DDR Stamp

Please help to find out about meaning of this number - printed on the back of regular DDR stamp (Mi#1540). I could not find anything about such "overprints" in Michel catalog.
Any ideas, please?

On these coil stamps, a control number is printed on the back of every 5th stamp to facilitate counting.

Kim is correct. (as usual ) It is a control mark for a coil. (Rollenmarken). The 2015 Michel Spezial lists a single, 1540R, with a CV of 4.50 Euro. They are also collected in strips of 5, like US PNC's.

Dan

Thanks for letting us know the German term, Dan!

I didn't realize they were also collected in strips of 5. So thanks for that info, too!

When they first began appearing on US coils, I remember there was some interesting discussion on how they should be collected/displayed (pairs? strips of 3?... number at end or at middle?...) As far as I know, no consensus was ever reached -- other than collect them as you like.

I was wondering, for strips of 5 of the German rollenmarken coils, is the standard to have the number in the middle?

Khj, yes, these ( German ) strips are collected with the number in the middle. On the US strips it gets a bit more complicated. Some of the US coils have accounting numbers on them, and they are appearing every ten stamps.
At the same time there are plate numbers on the front of some of these stamps. These are collected in strips of five also as long as the 'back number' appears on the same stamp as the plate number. Longer strips aare collected when the back number falls on a stamp away from the plate numbered stamp. Usually the norm is that these strips show two or three stamps away from the back number and two or three away from the plate number.

Peter

Yes, Peter is correct and that was the gist of the discussion back then. I remember the debate on whether to collect the accounting number coinciding with the plate number, or 2-3 away at the end. In case anybody was wondering, why 2-3 away -- some collectors suggesting folding the last stamp of the strip so that you could simultaneously see both the plate number AND the control number at the back.

But I'm getting off topic.

Nice scans, by the way, igopp!

This DDR stamp was never issued in counter sheets! It ONLY exists as a coil stamp ....

That's correct. The Michel number 1540 is for a single coil stamp. 1540R is for a coil stamp with the control mark on the back,an "Einzelmarke mit Nr." A strip of five (5er Streifen) has a CV of 12 Euro.

Dan

Excuse my ignorance on the subject as I've only collected Canadian stamps and just getting into the other countries now. But how is this stamped coiled vertically or horizontally, and are there paste-up pairs then. Were these actually printed in a coil and perfed all around or by sheet. Just looking for the process of production.

Thanks for any info
God Bless Stamps and Beer.

Yes, as stated, these are control numbers, and the DDR was not the only country to use them. Several European countries use them. I have seen these numbers on West Germany, Berlin, and Switzerland to name a few, and, there are other countries as well.

Chimo

Bujutsu

My general understanding is the paper roll was printed and perforated. The roll of printed paper was then slitted into strips using sharp blades. Most coil stamps produced this way are perforated all around, but the top/bottom or left/right sides are cut too, depending upon whether it is a horizontal coil or vertical coil.

This stamp seems to be a horizontal coil. The perf separations are more ragged in the vertical orientation than the horizontal orientation. Perhaps, instead of knives to cut the slits, the paper was passed over a sharp edge to tear the perforations more uniformly.

Robert